Refiner's Fire Ministries

Recently there was an article in Restoration Voice which was written by an elder whom I happen to know slightly and for whom I have in the past had a great deal of respect. In it he attempts to explain a passage of scripture, and specifically one word in that passage. We all know how important one word was to a former president but this is a different word and a different context.

The word is “leave” and it was utterly and absolutely misunderstood by Joseph Smith when he wrote his so-called inspired version of the Bible. You remember, the one he translated using the seer stone in his hat, right after he wrote the Book of Mormon utilizing essentially the same method.

Hebrew 6:1 reads: “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection: not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God . . .” (KJV)

The word “leave” in the Greek, is aphiemi, meaning to abandon, in some cases, but in other instances, meaning moving beyond something. When I began college, I took a number of introductory courses which laid the foundation for more advanced study: English 101, 102, 103, etc. Then I moved on to 201, 201, 203, etc. I did not abandon everything I learned in the first courses. I simply moved on to the higher level courses, further continuing my education.

This verse has been copiously explained by such scholars as Matthew Henry and John Calvin. Unfortunately, Joseph Smith didn’t have the intellectual capacity to grasp the implication of the passage. So he simply added the word “not” and utterly changed the impact. This is what he had to say about the verse: I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors…. Look at Heb. vi.1 for contradictions—“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection.” If a man leaves the principles of the doctrine of Christ, how can he be saved in the principles? This is a contradiction. I don’t believe it. I will render it as it should be—“Therefore not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works….”

Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts, 2d ed. (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1950), 6:57, 58.*

What makes this so disturbing is the number of seemingly intelligent people who believe this error. But multiply it by the thousands of Joseph Smith errors, inaccuracies, misinterpretations, sleights of hand, and outright lies and we have a church that is trapped in a quagmire of massive proportions. The followers of Joseph Smith would do well to follow instead the example of the Bereans in the 17th chapter of Acts. We wish they would do so.

In His amazing love

Jan

*I borrowed this section from The Book of Hebrews and the Joseph Smith Translation by Robert M. Bowman.